Modern Vespa

Hi all, I've owned an elettrica 70k for 18 months - working fine until a couple of months ago when, almost every other time I recharge the battery, it started getting inexplicably interrupted anywhere between 40% and 70% of the full charge. I have to unplug and replug for the charge to restart up to 100%. I changed the extension cord, tried different plugs - to no avail. There is no power outage were I live.

I took it to the dealer and they said they found nothing.

There's an amber engine error light that also pops up on the bottom right of the screen when that happens and it is not mentioned in any manual (neither the user manual nor the service station manual). It disappears after a while.

Has anyone got a tip for this type of issue?

A cell may have gone overvoltage. I don't know how good the Elettrica BMS (battery management system) is, but most will interrupt charging if a cell goes overvoltage, especially if it continues to do so for a number of times. This can happen if the cells aren't balanced on a regular basis, as one or more become more charged than the others over a period of time. This is inevitable, though mitigated if the cells are all very carefully matched before being grouped as a battery.

Has your dealer done any mapping (firmware) updates?
Vehicle should be plugged directly into outlet without the use of any extension cords.

Thank you. I can ask the dealer. I assumed software update is a pretty basic thing to do when an EV has a problem.
Unfortunately I don't have a the luxury of a plug in the bike shed of my residence. It worked fine with a professional grade extension cord for 16 months.

Can you please explain the logic behind that? The charging doesn't take large currents from the mains (and half as much in London as Toronto...).

Thank you - does this mean the battery should be changed in your mind?

Most BMSs have a balancing/equalising system - this may have to be invoked by the dealer. However, this may well not be the problem, the dealer should be able to diagnose by reading the stored fault codes.

There should be a balance mode you should use at least once a month. Is there anything about that in the manual? I know on my bicycle and my drones all have a balance mode. To make sure all cells are equal.

Did the dealer just try and read the codes?

Personally, I would take it to the dealer with a low battery and let them charge it up.

This will confirm if it's a problem with your electrics at home, but also it gives them evidence that it is happening, so they can speak to Piaggio.

One potential idea though: my brother used to use a long extension cord with an electric lawn mower and sometimes it wouldn't work / would cut out a lot. We then discovered a warning on the extension cord itself that said that when the cable was wound in a coil, the power would be a lot lower. You had to have the cord fully extended before it would work to 100% of its ability. I think it was to do with heat, or effectively becoming an electro magnet.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/pro-xt-omu2513-13a-4-gang-25m-cable-reel-240v/412HV?tc=DT3&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3ZqqksLSggMVzdLtCh2uKAqrEAQYASABEgKl9_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Have a look under "specifications".

This particular extension cord says: Not suitable for EV charging

But it also says: So when this cable is wound up, it does not have the required power that the Elettrica charger requires.

It seems basic electrical safety isn't taught any more - one should NEVER use an extension cord wound up, it will get very hot very quickly even if the load is only slightly above the 'safe' level while coiled. It's a common fire hazard.

The instructions shouldn't just mention EVs!

England has one of the safest electrical systems in the world. A lot of people think it's completely over the top, but we're able to be a bit neglectful / irresponsible as there's so many safety barriers!

All our plugs connect directly to earth and the live pins are only exposed once a plug is inserted. We can't accidentally stick a screwdriver into the wall as all our sockets are blocked by this barrier when not in use.

We then have a switch on each and every plug socket to turn it on and off after a plug has been inserted.

Then we have a fuse in each plug, and a house system will be divided into multiple zones which also have individual fuses that can trip at the slightest hint of a fault.

We even go to the level that the earth cable inside every plug must be longer than the live and neutral so if you pull the cable itself and damage a plug - the live cuts out but the ground doesn't.

We also are banned from having normal plug sockets in bathrooms. We either have a light switch on the ceiling and a pull cord to turn it on and off, or a light switch outside the bathroom (in the next room). At most, we are also allowed a 12v shaver socket in the bathroom itself, but not a normal household plug socket - so no ability for a hairdryer etc.

And even our metal kitchen sinks are earthed!

WTF is a "plug socket"? I know many Brits use the term these days - but it's either a plug or a socket - not both! "Mains socket" or just "socket" or "outlet" would do fine.

Hadn't thought about that! It's always "plug" and "plug socket" here. Sometimes we'll just say "plug it in" or "plug it into the wall" but I don't think we ever call it an outlet.

It's certainly a phrase that's only come into use in the last 15 years or so - I never heard it before then. My kids started using it, and were 'reeducated' pronto! All the stores (Wickes, Screwfix, Homebase, Toolstation, Selco etc etc) just use 'socket'.

What does a jack plug plug into? It certainly isn't a ''jack plug socket'.